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Cynthiana is a home rule-class city in Harrison County,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, in the United States. The population was 6,402 at the 2010 census. It is the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...
of its county.


History

The settlement developed on both sides of the South Fork of the Licking River. It was named after Cynthia and Anna Harrison, daughters of Robert Harrison, who had donated land to establish the town center. Harrison County, on the other hand, was named after Colonel Benjamin Harrison, an early settler in the area who had served as sheriff of Bourbon County. Two
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
battles were fought in Cynthiana. The first on July 17, 1862, was part of a cavalry raid into Kentucky (which stayed in the Union) by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan; the second, on June 11 and 12, 1864, resulted in Union defeat of Confederate forces during Morgan's last raid into the state. On January 23, 1877, an
LL chondrite LL may refer to: * Ll or ll, a digraph that occurs in several natural languages Arts and entertainment *LL, the production code for the 1967 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Evil of the Daleks'' * ''Labyrinth Lord'', a fantasy role-playing game * ''L ...
meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...
fell in Cynthiana. On March 2, 1997, the South Fork of the Licking River flooded, causing extensive damage in Cynthiana and neighboring communities. In early March 2020, near the beginning of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in the United States, Cynthiana was reported to have the first case of the disease diagnosed in Kentucky. Four more cases soon followed, and by March 12, most businesses, schools and churches closed in an effort to prevent further spread.


Geography

Cynthiana is located in southern Harrison County. U.S. Routes 27 and 62 pass through the city, passing west of the downtown area. US 27 leads north to
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
and south to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, while US 62 leads northeast to Maysville and southwest to Georgetown. Lexington is to the southwest via US 27 or via Kentucky Route 353. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.09%, are water. The South Fork of the Licking River, a tributary of the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
, flows south to north through the city, passing west of the downtown area.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Cynthiana has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Transportation


U.S. Highways

* US 27 is known otherwise as Paris Pike (going south from Cynthiana), and Falmouth Road (going north from Cynthiana). * US 62 is known otherwise as Leesburg Rd (going west from Cynthiana), and Oddville Pike (going east from Cynthiana).


Kentucky state highways

* KY 36 is also known locally as Williamstown Road (west of Cynthiana) and Millersburg Pike (east of Cynthiana). * KY 32 is also known locally as Connersville Pike (southwest of Cynthiana) and Millersburg Pike (east of Cynthiana). KY 32 and KY 36 merge downtown and leave Cynthiana concurrently. * KY 356 is also known as White Oak Road.


Air

Cynthiana-Harrison County Airport is a public
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...
located 2 miles south of Cynthiana. It consists of a 3,850 by 75 ft
asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...
runway.


Education

Cynthiana is served by the Harrison County School District with a total of seven public schools located within the county limits: * High schools: **Harrison County High School * Technical Schools **KY Tech Harrison Area Technology Center (ATC) * Middle schools: **Harrison County Middle School * Elementary schools: **Eastside Elementary **Westside Elementary **Northside Elementary **Southside Elementary Cynthiana has one private school: *St. Edward School (Pre-k-5) Maysville Community and Technical College has an extended campus located in Cynthiana * Maysville Community and Technical College: Licking Valley Campus Cynthiana has a public library, the Cynthiana-Harrison Public Library.


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 6,258 people, 2,692 households, and 1,639 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,909 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.43%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 5.29%
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.16% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.81% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population. There were 2,692 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,519, and the median income for a family was $34,691. Males had a median income of $27,704 versus $20,659 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $15,227. About 13.3% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

3M established a factory in Cynthiana in 1969.
Post-it note A Post-it note (or sticky note) is a small piece of paper with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. A low-adhesion, tack pressure-sensitive adhesive allows the notes to ...
s were developed in 1972 by Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver. Until patents expired in the late 1990s, the 3M factory in Cynthiana was the only production site of Post-it notes worldwide. Today, it still accounts for nearly all of the world's production.


Media


Newspaper

The Cynthiana Democrat, owned by Paxton Media Group, formerly by Landmark Community Newspapers. Subscription-based weekly newspaper, printed every Thursday with in-home delivery. Has been in print since 1868. Also is available at www.cynthianademocrat.com


Radio


Notable people

* William A. Welch, civil engineer, environmentalist, and first general manager of the
Palisades Interstate Park The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster McGowan Voorhees, Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jer ...
system * Celia Ammerman, model and star of ''America's Next Top Model'' (cycle 12) * William Tell Coleman, founder of the
Harmony Borax Works The Harmony Borax Works is located in Death Valley at Furnace Creek, California, Furnace Creek Springs, then called Greenland. It is now located within Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California. It is on the National Register of His ...
, Death Valley, California * Richard Gruelle, painter and member of the Hoosier Group * Joe B. Hall,
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
men's basketball coach 1972–85; coached Wildcats to 1978 national championship *
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
, comic book writer, co-creator of '' The Walking Dead'' ** This is also where the original ''The Walking Dead'' comic characters Rick Grimes,
Lori Grimes Lori Grimes is a fictional Character (arts), character from the comic book series ''The Walking Dead (comic book), The Walking Dead'' and was portrayed by Sarah Wayne Callies in the American The Walking Dead (TV series), television series of the sa ...
, Carl Grimes, Shane Walsh, and Morgan Jones lived prior to the events of the series * Bill McKinney,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
drummer and bandleader * Tony Moore, comic book artist * Betty Slade, IFBB professional bodybuilder * Lawrence Pressman, actor * Anna Rankin Riggs (1835–1908), social reformer * Pythias Russ, baseball player in the
Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...
* Walter E. Scott, namesake of Death Valley National Park's Scotty's Castle * Marcus A. Smith,
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Arizona * Chris Snopek,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player * Mac Swinford, federal judge * Phil Wagner, retired American professional basketball player who spent one season (1968–69) in the American Basketball Association for the Indiana Pacers * Justin Wells,
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and
roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...
musician * Caleb Walton West, last governor of
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...


References


External links


City of Cynthiana official website
{{authority control * Cities in Kentucky Cities in Harrison County, Kentucky County seats in Kentucky